1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a coupling structure for chassis members of a vehicle such as an automobile.
2. Related Art
In an automobile, for example, an axle housing that supports an axle of a tire and a cross member or a frame of a vehicle body are coupled to each other by link members or arm members. Also, a shock absorbing member such as a suspension is disposed between the vehicle body and the axle housing, the link members, or the arm members.
Thus, the chassis members such as the tire and the axle housing are supported such that the tire and the axle housing are movable relative to the vehicle body.
The tire and the chassis members are moved by forces in various directions input to the tire due to steering and variation of road surfaces. As a result, the vehicle body is stabilized.
In order to couple, for example, the axle housing and the chassis member such as the link member to one another, a ball joint member is used (Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publications No. H06-115331 and No. 2013-208986).
The ball joint member typically includes a ball, a stud, and a socket. The ball has a substantially spherical shape. The stud has a columnar external shape and stands erect on the ball so as to be coupled. The socket has a columnar external shape and has a substantially spherical hole into which the ball is fitted. Grooves engageable with pinch bolts are formed throughout circumferences in outer circumferential surfaces of the socket and the stud, which have the respective columnar external shapes. The ball joint member is coupled with the other chassis member by inserting the stud or the socket, which have the respective columnar external shapes, into a coupling hole of the other chassis member and by bringing the groove into engagement with the pinch bolt attached to the other chassis member.
By coupling, for example, the axle housing to the link member by using such a ball joint member, the likelihood of stress being produced between the axle housing and the link member can be reduced when the axle housing is moved in various directions by input of an external force.
Such a ball joint member is also one type of the chassis members.